Treatment Effect

This 18-month follow-up study builds on the findings of a randomized experimental evaluation that found qualified support for He has authored or coauthored over 100 publications, most of which deal with research methods or with empirical evaluations of practice in such areas as domestic violence, severe and persistent mental illness, the assessment and treatment of traumatized children, engagement and retention in substance abuse treatment programs, and the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Luborsky et al.'s findings of a nonsignificant effect size between the outcome of different therapies reinforces earlier meta-analyses demonstrating equivalence of bonafide treatments. Such results cast doubt on the power of the medical model of psychotherapy, which posits specific treatment effects for patients with specific diagnoses. Furthermore, studies of other features of this model-such as component (dismantling) approaches, adherence to a manual, or theoretically relevant interaction effects-have shown little support for it. The preponderance of evidence points to the widespread operation of common factors such as therapist-client alliance, therapist allegiance to a theoretical orientation, and other therapist effects in determining treatment outcome. This commentary draws out the implications of these findings for psychotherapy research, practice, and policy.

Behavioral treatment of drooling is advocated widely, but evidence of its effectiveness is lacking. In a center-based case-series study, 10 participants with severe drooling were taught self-management skills to reduce drooling. Following treatment, all participants remained dry for intervals of 30-60 min, while being engaged in daily activities. Generalization to the classroom occurred in each participant. For three participants, maintenance of treatment effect was established at 6 and 24 weeks. Seven participants failed to maintain self-management skills at follow-up. Although the selfmanagement procedure showed promising results, further adaptations are required to improve efficacy, generalization, and maintenance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a quad-helix/crib (Q-H/C) appliance in a group of growing subjects with thumb-sucking habits and both dental and skeletal open bites. Methods: The records of 23 subjects treated with Q-H/C appliances were compared with a control group of 23 untreated subjects with similar vertical relationships. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before treatment (T1; mean age, 8.4 Ϯ 1.4 years) and immediately after treatment (T2; mean age, 9.9 Ϯ 1.5 years). Mean duration of treatment was 1.5 Ϯ 7 months. The T2-T1 changes in the 2 groups were compared with a nonparametric test for independent samples (Mann-Whitney U test). Results: The average increase in overbite during Q-H/C therapy (3.6 mm more than the control group) overcorrected the amount of anterior open bite at T2. However, 4 of 23 subjects did not show positive overbites at T2. Both the maxillary and mandibular incisors had significantly greater lingual inclinations (about 4.0°) associated with greater extrusion (1.4 and 1.0 mm, respectively) in the Q-H/C group than in the control group. In addition, the treated group showed a greater downward rotation (1.2°) of the palatal plane than did the control group. This change was associated with a greater increase in upper anterior facial height (0.7 mm) and a clinically significant reduction in the palatal plane-mandibular plane angle (Ϫ1.7°) in the Q-H/C group with respect to the controls. The upper and lower lips showed significant tendencies toward retraction relative to the E-plane in the treated group (2.6 and 2.9 mm, respectively) compared with the controls. Conclusions: The Q-H/C appliance was effective in correcting the dental open bite in 90% of growing subjects with thumb-sucking habits and dentoskeletal open bites. The Q-H/C protocol produced a clinically significant improvement in the vertical skeletal relationships because of downward rotation of the palatal plane.

This paper tries to investigate the effectiveness of two poverty alleviation policies adopted by Indian government;(i) microfinance programme under SwarnaJayanti Gram SwarojgarYojona Scheme (SGSY) and (ii) National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to improve the economic wellbeing of the rural households. For this investigation we have to depend on Social Experiment where the drawn samples are non-random in nature. In this experiment the considered time gap between the „base line‟ period and „end line‟ period is two and half years. It is proved that there is total absence of any type of sample selection bias mainly during the time of drawing samples belong to control group. So the impact study could be done on the basis of „First differenced method‟ rather than to take the help of „Treatment effect procedure‟ calculated on the basis of two step method. It is proved from our experiment that both the government polices are jointly effective to reduce the acuteness of poverty ...

The pooled results from our Veterans Affairs studies are presented for 99 men. The naltrexone-treated subjects reported a reduction in alcohol craving and drinking, as well as less euphoria when they ingested alcohol. Relapse rates were significantly lower for the naltrexone-treated subjects than they were for placebo-treated subjects. Together with the consistent results from other double-blind trials of naltrexone, we conclude that naltrexone is a safe and useful adjunct in the rehabilitation of aicohol-dependent patients. Although administration of naltrexone was shown to improve treatment outcome, subjects who attended all 12 research visits demonstrated larger treatment effects. These data suggest that the use of naltrexone as a pharmacological adjunct to psychosociai intervention is an effective treatment for alcohol dependence. The effectiveness of naltrexone'may be improved by designing a treatment program that enhances compliance with the medication.

This study explored the role of threat and contamination-related associations in spider phobia. Treatment-seeking (n ¼ 60) and non-phobic (n ¼ 30) individuals completed threat and disgustrelated Implicit Association Tests (IATs). Phobic individuals were assessed before and after one session of 2.5 h in vivo exposure. To differentiate actual treatment effects from test-retest effects on the IAT, half of the phobic individuals completed the IAT twice before treatment. Results showed that: (1) threat and contamination associations similarly distinguished between phobic and nonphobic participants on self-reports and IATs; (2) only self-reported threat associations incrementally predicted participants' overt avoidance behavior next to self-reported global affective associations;

This pilot study of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (ethyl-EPA) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease aimed to estimate the magnitude of any change in measures of cognition during a 12-week treatment period. A simple linear design was used in which each patient had a baseline period of 12 weeks without treatment, followed by 12 weeks' treatment with ethyl-EPA. Blood samples were taken both before and after the treatment period to measure erythrocyte membrane fatty acids. Assessments comprised cognitive measures and visual analogue ratings of overall assessment of functioning.

There is increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms by which effective therapies work. The cognitive neuroscience perspective presented here adds to our mechanism understanding of how empirically supported treatments for anxiety and depression work and it informs the cognitive specificity hypothesis. Basic neuroscience findings regarding synaptic transmission and experience-dependent plasticity are presented because they form the basis of learning and memory and enable a better understanding of the effects of neuroleptic drugs on the limbic system. Principles of connectionist modeling are discussed because they provide additional mechanism information. A generalization of the SO -R model into a network model is presented. A connectionist explanation of how networks transform perceptions into cognitions is provided. This information is used to better understand how placebos and nocebos work. Clinical applications are made to PTSD, anxiety, depression, and their empirically supported treatments. The cognitive specificity hypothesis is revisited from this connectionist cognitive neuroscience perspective. Mechanism information concerning the effects of drugs on cognition, depth of cognitive change, and durability of treatment effects is presented. Corollaries and conclusions follow.

Posttraumatic nightmares are a hallmark of PTSD and distinct from general nightmares as they are often repetitive and faithful representations of the traumatic event. This paper presents data from a pilot study that examined the use of Imagery Rehearsal in treating combat-related nightmares of 12 Vietnam veterans with PTSD. Three treatment groups, comprising 4 veterans in each, completed standardised treatment across 6 sessions. Treatment effects were investigated using nightmare diaries and established instruments, including the IES-R, BDI, BAI, and SCL-90-R. The data demonstrate significant reductions in nightmares targeted, and improvements in PTSD and comorbid symptomatology. The paper recommends that, on the basis of the promising preliminary data, a randomised control trial be established to assess imagery ability and attidude toward nightmares.

There are many challenges to transporting evidence-based treatments from laboratories into real-world settings. However, if we hope to make our evidence-based treatments accessible and available to children and usable by community professionals, effectiveness research is imperative. We argue that schools represent an ideal real world setting in which to conduct such research. The goals of this paper are to present

Signs of an inflammatory process, in particular increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased levels of prostaglandine E 2 (PGE 2 ), have repeatedly been described in major depression (MD). As cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors inhibit the PGE 2 production and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, we performed a therapeutic trial with the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib. In a prospective, double-blind, add-on study, 40 patients suffering from an acute depressive episode were randomly assigned to either reboxetine and celecoxib or to reboxetine plus placebo. After a wash-out period, 20 patients received 4-10 mg reboxetine plus placebo and 20 received reboxetine plus 400 mg celecoxib for 6 weeks. The treatment effect was calculated by analysis of variance. There were no significant differences between groups in age, sex, duration or severity of disease or psychopathology, or reboxetine dose or plasma levels. Over 6 weeks, both groups of patients showed significant improvement in scores of the Hamilton Depression Scale. However, the celecoxib group showed significantly greater improvement compared to the reboxetine-alone group. Additional treatment with celecoxib has significant positive effects on the therapeutic action of reboxetine with regard to depressive symptomatology. Moreover, the fact that treatment with an anti-inflammatory drug showed beneficial effects on MD indicates that inflammation is related to the pathomechanism of the disorder, although the exact mechanisms remain to become elucidated.

To investigate (i) the differential changes in premenstrual symptoms, mood, cognitions, and coping strategies during two treatments [cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and fluoxetine] for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and (ii) the characteristics of those with good vs. poor outcome post treatment and at 1 year follow-up. Premenstrual symptoms, mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), causal attributions, and use of cognitive and behavioural coping strategies were examined during 6 months of both treatments. The two treatment groups were then combined and divided on the basis of good vs. poor outcome posttreatment and at 1 year follow-up. Baseline measures were used to predict posttreatment outcome, and baseline and posttreatment measures were examined when attempting to predict outcome at 1 year follow-up. Both treatments were equally effective at the end of 6 months (prospective daily diary measure). Fluoxetine treatment had a more rapid effect and greater impa...

Regression to the mean (RTM) is a widespread statistical phenomenon. It is a group phenomenon that occurs whenever an extreme group is selected from a population based on the measurement of a particular variable. If a second measurement is then taken for the same group, the second mean will be closer to the population mean than the first measurement. This decrease (or increase) can be mistakenly attributed to a treatment effect; the conclusion can be drawn that an effect results from treatment when it in fact results from chance. Any intervention that is aimed at a group or characteristic that is very different from the average will appear to be successful because of RTM. It is therefore important that any genuine reductions because of the treatment are separated out from the effect of RTM. If the problem is ignored then this will lead to errors in the interpretation of results and, potentially, decisions made on the evidence of those results. This paper highlights the importance of the issue and its effects on many common clinical, public health and managerial decisions.

The mandibular anterior repositioning appliance (MARA) is a tooth-borne functional appliance for use in patients with Class II malocclusions; it positions the mandible forward into a Class I occlusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the MARA's dental and skeletal effects on anterior, posterior, and vertical changes in 30 Class II patients. The treatment group consisted of 12 boys with an average age of 11.2 years and 18 girls with an average age of 11.3 years. A pretreatment cephalometric radiograph was taken 2 weeks before treatment, and a posttreatment cephalometric radiograph was taken 6 weeks after removal of the MARA, with an average treatment time of 10.7 months. The mean and standard deviation were calculated for each cephalometric variable, and Student t tests were performed to determine the statistical significance of the changes. The results of the study showed that the MARA produced measurable treatment effects on the skeletal and dental elements of the craniofacial complex. These effects included a considerable distalization of the maxillary molar, a measurable forward movement of the mandibular molar and incisor, a significant increase in mandibular length, and an increase in posterior face height. The effects of the MARA treatment were then compared with those of the Herbst and Frä nkel appliances. The treatment results of the MARA were very similar to those produced by the Herbst appliance but with less headgear effect on the maxilla and less mandibular incisor proclination than observed in the Herbst treatment group.

Standardized effect size s u m m a r y Introduction: Treatment response in randomized clinical trials (RCT) of osteoarthritis (OA) has been assessed by multiple primary and secondary outcomes, including pain, function, patient and clinician global measures of status and response to treatment, and various composite and responder measures. Identifying outcome measures with greater responsiveness to treatment is important to increase the assay sensitivity of RCTs. Objective: To assess and compare the responsiveness of different outcome measures used in placebocontrolled RCTs of OA. Search strategy: The Resource for Evaluating Procedures and Outcomes of Randomized Trials database includes placebo-controlled clinical trials of pharmacologic treatments (oral, topical, or transdermal) for OA identified from a systematic literature search of RCTs published or publicly available before August 5, 2009, which was conducted using PubMed, the Cochrane collaboration, publicly-available websites, and reference lists of retrieved publications. Data collection and analysis: Data collected included: (1) pain assessed with single-item ratings and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale; (2) patient and clinician global measures of status, improvement, and treatment response; (3) function assessed by the WOMAC function subscale; (4) stiffness assessed by the WOMAC stiffness subscale; and (5) the WOMAC and Lequesne Algofunctional Index composite outcomes. Measures were grouped according to the total number of response categories (i.e., <10 categories or !10 categories). The treatment effect (difference in mean change from baseline between the placebo and active therapy arms) and standardized effect size (SES) were estimated for each measure in a meta-analysis using a random effects model. Results: There were 125 RCTs with data to compute the treatment effect for at least one measure; the majority evaluated non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), followed by opioids, glucosamine and/or chondroitin, and acetaminophen. In general, the patient-reported pain outcome measures had comparable responsiveness to treatment as shown by the estimates of treatment effects and SES. Treatment effects and SESs were generally higher for patient-reported global measures compared with clinician-rated global measures but generally similar for the WOMAC and Lequesne composite measures. Conclusions: Comparing different outcome measures using meta-analysis and selecting those that have the greatest ability to identify efficacious treatments may increase the efficiency of clinical trials of treatments for OA. Improvements in the quality of the reporting of clinical trial results are needed to facilitate meta-analyses to evaluate the responsiveness of outcome measures and to also address other issues related to assay sensitivity.

Two cherry tomato plant cultivars (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller, cultivars ‘Koko’ and ‘Pepe’) were supplied with high (395 ppm), medium (266 ppm) and low (199 ppm) concentrations of nitrogen to determine the influence of nitrogen fertilization on development, cultivar preference and honeydew production by greenhouse whiteflies, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The nitrogen, protein, and chlorophyll contents of tomato leaves were higher in the

This clinical outcome study compared four separate cognitive behavioral and one behavioral treatment for reducing social anxiety with a waiting list control. Subjects were adults who responded to advertisements for treatment. In the cognitive-behavioral conditions, subjects were trained to modify their disruptive cognitions and/or emit adaptive cognitions relevant to interpersonal behavior with the specific content and techniques determined by the particular cognitive therapy. In the behavioral condition, subjects modeled and rehearsed appropriate social interpersonal behaviors. Subjects were assessed pre and post-treatment on self-report measures of social anxiety, measures of general anxiety, clinical scales of anxiety, depression and hostility, and behavioral, and physiological concomitants of social anxiety. Subjects in all active treatment conditions showed improvement on the measures of social anxiety and the behavioral measure. However, only those in the cognitive treatment conditions, demonstrated treatment effects on general anxiety and the clinical scales. The results indicate the efficacy of both cognitive and behavioral approaches to the reduction of social anxiety. However, they fail to demonstrate clear distinctions between the various cognitive therapies.

The present study examined a relapse prevention (RP) program delivered via bibliotherapy in the treatment of individuals with panic attacks. Compared with a wait list control group, individuals receiving RP exhibited significant reductions on measures of frequency of panic attacks, panic cognitions, anticipatory anxiety, avoidance, and depression. In addition, individuals in the RP group were more likely to attain a "clinically significant change" in status on both panic-free status and level of avoidance more frequently than individuals in the control group. When compared with treatment effects evaluated in two prior phases of the study, the obtained results appear to be the product of a synchronous effect of bibliotherapy and minimal phone contact during the 6-month follow-up period. The results reflect the importance of brief therapist contact in increasing motivation for active participation in bibliotherapy interventions.

While job search theory predicts that active labour market policies (ALMPs) can affect post-unemployment outcomes, empirical evaluations have mostly focused on the impact of ALMPs on exit rates from the current unemployment spell. We use a social experiment, which was conducted in Denmark in 2005-6, to investigate the potential long-term effects of a dramatic intensification of ALMPs. We evaluate the impact of treatment on post-unemployment employment stability, exits from the labor market and more generally on the transitions on the labour market up to 4 years after randomization. We estimate a multistate and multispell duration model with lagged duration dependence to separately identify "indirect" (through previous shorter unemployment duration) and "direct" (through a more efficient matching process) longer term effects of ALMPs. We adopt time-varying treatment and allow for ex ante effects of ALMPs. We find that intensive activation significantly reduces unemployment recurrence for men, but not for women. When we control for dynamic selection and lagged duration dependence, the positive impact of the treatment becomes smaller or insignificant, meaning that most of the impact acts through the indirect channel and the threat effect.

Background: Meta-analysis handles randomized trials with no outcome events in both treatment and control arms inconsistently, including them when risk difference (RD) is the effect measure but excluding them when relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) are used. This study examined the influence of such trials on pooled treatment effects.

Brå-a centre of knowledge on crime and measures to combat crime The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebygande rådet-Brå) works to reduce crime and improve levels of safety by producing data and disseminating knowledge on crime and crime prevention work and the justice system's response to crime.

This survey gives a brief overview of the literature on the difference-indifference (DiD) estimation strategy and discusses major issues using a treatment effects perspective. In this sense, this survey gives a somewhat different view on DiD than the standard textbook discussion of the DiD model, but it will not be as complete as the latter. It contains some extensions of the literature, for example, a discussion of, and suggestions for nonlinear DiD estimators as well as DiD estimators based on propensity-score type matching methods.

RESUMO -O fornecimento de diferentes teores de cálcio para poedeiras semipesadas durante a fase de pré-postura e seus efeitos nas quatro semanas subseqüentes foram avaliados neste experimento. Foram utilizadas 288 aves da linhagem Isabrown com 16 semanas de idade, distribuídas em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com quatro tratamentos, oito repetições e nove aves por unidade experimental. As rações, à base de milho e farelo de soja, foram formuladas para atender às exigências nutricionais das aves, à exceção dos níveis de cálcio. O experimento teve duração de seis semanas, nas quais as aves receberam quatro rações pré-postura contendo diferentes teores de cálcio (0,6; 1,2; 1,8; e 2,4%) no período de 16 a 17 semanas de idade. Nas quatro semanas subseqüentes, foi fornecida uma ração de postura contendo 3,8% de cálcio para todas as aves. Não foi observado efeito dos tratamentos sobre o ganho de peso, a idade ao primeiro ovo e o teor de matéria mineral nas cascas dos primeiros ovos. Contudo, verificou-se efeito linear sobre a quantidade de cálcio depositado na casca. Nas quatro semanas subseqüentes, os diferentes teores de cálcio fornecidos na fase pré-postura não afetaram o consumo de ração, a produção de ovos, a conversão alimentar, os pesos dos ovos e da casca, a espessura da casca e a concentração de cálcio na casca, mas influenciaram linearmente o peso da casca em relação ao peso do ovo, o peso da casca por unidade de superfície de área e a quantidade de cinzas na casca. Os níveis nutricionais de cálcio nas rações pré-postura não afetaram a qualidade interna e externa dos ovos no início da postura. O nível nutricional de 0,6% de cálcio nas rações foi adequado para frangas semipesadas na fase pré-postura.

Plant litter may play an important role in herbaceous plant communities by limiting primary production and influencing plant species richness. However, it is not known how the effect of litter interacts with fertilization. We tested for the role of litter and fertilization in a large-scale experiment to investigate effects on diversity and biomass of plant species, growth forms, native vs. non-native groups, and abiotic ecosystem components (e.g., soil moisture, PAR). We manipulated plant litter (removed vs. left in situ) and nutrient availability (NPK-fertilized vs. unfertilized) for 4 years in 314-m2 plots, replicated six times, in an old-field grassland. While many of our species-level results supported previously published studies and theory, our plant group results generally did not. Specifically, grass species richness and forb biomass was not affected by either fertilization or plant litter. Moreover, plant litter removal significantly increased non-native plant species richness. Relative to native plant species, all of our experimental manipulations significantly increased both the biomass and the species richness of non-native plant species. Thus, this grassland system was sensitive to management treatments through the facilitation of non-native plant species. We coupled biotic and abiotic components within a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) analysis to investigate treatment effects, which revealed that specific treatments altered ecosystem development. These results suggest that fertilization and plant litter may have larger impacts on plant communities and on ecosystem properties than previously understood, underscoring the need for larger-scale and longer-term experiments.

This report presents findings from a 15-month follow-up of a study that compared the effectiveness of aerobic conditioning (i. e., jogging) and stress inoculation training in the reduction of anxiety for chronically stressed community residents (N = 61). At this follow-up, both interventions led to continued reports of significantly less anxiety and greater self-efficacy. The superior treatment effects of stress inoculation in modifying inner dialogue, increasing positive self-statements, and decreasing negative self-statements were maintained. In addition, subjects experiencing stress predominantly as cognitive anxiety either maintained or increased their anxiety from post to follow-up, while somatic subjects continued to reduce their anxiety level. This held regardless of treatment condition. Since only 40% of the jogging group were still jogging at follow-up, the long-term maintenance of therapeutic gain with aerobic conditioning warrants further investigation. 4"/1 0147-5916/85/080o-0471504.50/0

Past and current memory for childhood sexual abuse reported by a clinical sample of 160 women survivors was assessed utilizing a structured clinical interview. Response alternatives for memory were ordered along a continuum. To minimize treatment effects, ...

Background: Semantic feature analysis (SFA) is a prominent treatment for the word retrieval deficits of aphasia. Generalisation of improved word retrieval on picture naming to discourse production has been an important factor for evaluating the effectiveness of SFA treatment. Unfortunately, generalisation of word retrieval improvements to discourse production following SFA has been modest.Aims: Because of the previous, albeit limited, success

The obesity epidemic has been recognized in the professional and lay public as a major health problem in the United States and many other cultures. The gastroenterology literature has recently paid attention to this problem, focusing primarily on either physiological mechanisms of obesity or surgical remedies for obesity. However, behavioral strategies developed from social learning theory have been the most thoroughly tested interventions for the treatment of obesity, as well as the interventions shown most clearly to have clinical benefit. Nevertheless, descriptions of behavioral techniques and their theoretical underpinnings have been minimal in the gastroenterology literature. Here, a brief history and presentation of the theoretical underpinnings of behavioral strategies for obesity management is summarized, emphasizing some of the key components, treatment effectiveness data, and needed areas for further research. Overall, it is concluded that behavior therapy is both the most studied and most effective therapy for treating obesity at present. Gastroenterologists are encouraged to use it as a first line of treatment for most obese patients, and as a key component of therapies that involve pharmacologic and surgical components.

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis Hook.) woodlands are rapidly replacing lower elevation (, 2 100 m) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) stands throughout the northern Great Basin. Aspen restoration is important because these communities provide critical habitat for many wildlife species and contain a high diversity of understory shrubs and herbaceous species. We studied two juniper removal treatments to restore aspen woodlands. Treatments included cutting one-third of the juniper trees followed by early fall burning (FALL) or early spring burning (SPRING). Selective cutting of juniper was performed to increase cured surface (0-2 m) fuel levels to carry fire through the woodlands. We tested treatment effectiveness at removing juniper from seedlings to mature trees, measured aspen sucker recruitment, and evaluated the response to treatment of shrub and herbaceous cover and diversity. In the FALL treatment, burning eliminated all remaining juniper trees and seedlings, stimulated a 6-fold increase in aspen suckering (10 000 ha À1 ), but initially resulted in a significant reduction in herbaceous cover. Spring burning removed 80% of the mature juniper trees that remained after cutting. However, 50% of juniper juveniles survived the SPRING treatment, which will permit juniper to redominate these stands in less than 80 years. Aspen suckering in the SPRING increased only 2.5-fold to 5 300 stems ha À1 by the third year after fire. In the SPRING, herbaceous cover increased 330% and the number of species observed doubled by the third year after fire. If the management objective is to eliminate western juniper with minimal cutting and stimulate greater aspen suckering, we recommend that woodlands be burned in the fall. If the objective is to maintain shrub and herbaceous cover and moderately increase aspen suckering, spring burning is recommended. With spring burning it appears follow-up management will be necessary to remove juniper that are missed in initial treatments.

High liquid limit soil generally adopted in expressway embankment construction of southern mountains, which often expresses some characteristics including high moisture content, high porosity ratio, low permeability, high compressibility, certain disintegration, and so on. Spring soil phenomenon and inhomogeneous compaction have effects on the quality of embankment construction, just because the water in soil is difficult to evaporate. Based on the study of reinforcement mechanism for high liquid limit soil, in situ tests for dynamic compaction treatment in Yizhang-Fengtouling expressway embankment were developed. The reliable and economical dynamic compaction treatment methods and the construction technology for large range high liquid limit soil embankment in southern mountains expressway were discussed. In the process, convenient measurement methods were adopted to evaluate the treatment effects. The test results show that the dynamic compaction method has good treatment effects on the local red clay embankment. The embankment compaction degree is improved with compactness coming to 90% around tamping pits and compactness over 95% in tamping pits interior after tamping. The bearing capacity, the physical mechanic-property and the shear strength for soil are obviously improved, which are enhanced with cohesive strength increasing over 10 kPa and compression modulus increasing over 3 MPa.

Members of racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely than Caucasians to access mental health services despite recent evidence of more favorable attitudes regarding treatment effectiveness. The present study explored this discrepancy by examining racial differences in beliefs about how the natural course and seriousness of mental illnesses relate to perceived treatment effectiveness. The analysis is based on a nationally representative sample of 583 Caucasian and 82 African American participants in a vignette experiment about people living with mental illness. While African Americans were more likely than Caucasians to believe that mental health professionals could help individuals with schizophrenia and major depression, they were also more likely to believe mental health problems would improve on their own. This belief was unrelated to beliefs about treatment effectiveness. These findings suggest that a belief in treatment effectiveness may not increase service utilization among African Americans who are more likely to believe treatment is unnecessary.

Whiplash-associated disorders are common and incur considerable expense in social and economic terms. There are no known effective treatments for those people whose pain and disability persist beyond 3 months. We conducted a randomized, assessorblinded, controlled trial at two centres in Australia. All participants received 3 advice sessions. In addition the experimental group participated in 12 exercise sessions over 6 weeks. Primary outcomes were pain intensity, pain bothersomeness and function measured at 6 weeks and 12 months. Exercise and advice was more effective than advice alone at 6 weeks for all primary outcomes but not at 12 months. The effect of exercise on the 0-10 pain intensity scale was À1.1 (95%CI À1.8 to À0.3, p = 0.005) at 6 weeks and À0.2 (0.6 to À1.0, p = 0.59) at 12 months; on the bothersomeness scale the effect was À1.0 (À1.9 to À0.2, p = 0.003) at 6 weeks and 0.3 (À0.6 to 1.3, p = 0.48) at 12 months. The effect on function was 0.9 (0.3 to 1.6, p = 0.006) at 6 weeks and 0.6 (À0.1 to 1.4, p = 0.10) at 12 months. High levels of baseline pain intensity were associated with greater treatment effects at 6 weeks and high levels of baseline disability were associated with greater treatment effects at 12 months. In the short-term exercise and advice is slightly more effective than advice alone for people with persisting pain and disability following whiplash. Exercise is more effective for subjects with higher baseline pain and disability. Ó

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Applied Behavior Analytic (ABA) treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been demonstrated to produce significant treatment effects across multiple studies . Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of ABA, there continues to be a lack of trained clinicians to provide the treatment. Traditional training approaches include lecture, group discussion, and role-playing formats. However, alternative training approaches may need to be developed to increase the efficiency of training and/or to disseminate training opportunities to remote regions. One such possibility is eLearning, wherein trainees interact with computer training programs, rather than, or in addition to, live human trainers. Despite the potential contributions of eLearning training approaches, no previous research of which we are aware has evaluated eLearning approaches to training behavioral therapists in ABA principles and procedures for the treatment of autism. In this study, we evaluated an eLearning tool that was developed for training newly hired behavioral therapists in academic knowledge of ABA treatment for children with autism. We compared outcomes for a group of trainees who received eLearning training to a group who received traditional didactic training. Knowledge of ABA principles and procedures increased substantially for both groups, with the traditional didactic group achieving scores slightly higher than the eLearning group. These preliminary results suggest that eLearning tools may be a useful strategy for extending training in ABA principles and procedures to settings in which limited or no contact with live professional trainers may be available. ß